There is lots of fun to be had in the summer. Some can involve nature. Always being open to ideas I have been collecting ideas from different places and collecting pieces of nature such as pinecones, acorns from the fall. Incorporating nature into activities is not only an easy addition to art or play but it is educational. It is hands on, science based and a great learning activity for children.
Children have instinctive feelings of a connection with nature because of their attraction to fairy tales set in nature and by so many animal characters that are popular in television and stories such as Little Critter, Bearenstein Bears, Franklin etc. I know that when I take my daughter to the library we are always leaving with books that have some connection to animals and nature. It makes sense that we as parents take the next step and expose them to nature and bring nature in, when possible. When we provide our children with positive encounters with nature can lead to development of an environmental ethic, and respect for the environment, and that is what we all want for our children.
Allowing our children to have regular and positive interactions within nature help children develop respect and a caring attitude for the environment. Not only are regular experiences in nature important, but also adults, both parents and teachers, need to model enjoyment of, comfort with, and respect for nature. We can do this through taking children to zoos, farms, and orchards. We can find free activities and information sessions at local farms. We can have our children start positive experiences by trying to grow flowers or vegetables from seed, in a pot or in the garden. They will learn to nurture and care for the plant and appreciate the work that is involved in growing plants.
The next fun part is when you are out walking and exploring nature is taking parts of nature to bring indoors. These can be used for crafts and art projects. My daughter loves painting and loves rocks. If she gets a large rock she will just paint it in colours she likes. We have done some projects with the rocks for a purpose. One was painting them for our garden we took two rocks and painted the top one red with white spots and the bottom either green or brown. We glued them together and made toadstools for a garden decoration. One we have started we painted a canvas blue and the next step will be putting leaves we collect on the canvas and painting or spray painting over them to leave leave images. Isabelle loves to collect pinecones and acorns and we will be keeping them for Christmas ornaments. If you use twigs, pine cones or acorns put them in the oven at the lowest heat for about 20 minutes to kill any germs and dry them out.
Children always enjoy nature. They do not always get the opportunities to explore it but we can start of slow and work up to it. Scavenger Hunts are a great way to introduce them to nature by looking for certain things that you choose. Give them a list and let them explore. Exploring nature through stories and books can be an introduction for children and then you can lead the activities from there. Start with baby steps and work your way to more nature as you get more comfortable.
If you have any “nature” ideas or activities feel free to leave a comment. 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
By Melissa Marie
I grew up in a very rural area and in an age where we spent all of our time outdoors. We collected bugs and watched tadpoles in the pond and painted rocks and dried leaves between sheets of waxed paper.